Since entering the league in 2017, Lonzo Ball has quickly developed a reputation for having a high basketball IQ to go along with his high risk of getting injured. In his six seasons in the NBA, Lonzo Ball has played 50.4 games per season. Bulls fans know a thing or two about injury-prone point guards representing their team. After missing the entire season with a torn ACL, Derrick Rose averaged 42 games played per season for the Chicago Bulls the following three years. Sam Smith seems to believe there are similarities between Lonzo Ball’s knee injury situation to Derrick Rose’s many years ago.

“I worry about the Derrick Rose syndrome. For those who recall, the season after Derrick was injured in the 2012 playoffs, the media and fans became obsessed with Rose’s return to the point he was blamed for not returning, and before long the media and the community turned on him with the belief he didn’t want to play. Which was as erroneous as could be because no one in basketball ever returned from his injury in less than a year, and now especially players take a year for lesser injuries. But because Derrick never said much, the media speculation went into overdrive and carried the public along WITH IT.” SAID SAM SMITH

Comparing Lonzo Ball With Derrick Rose

As different as their games may be, there are a lot of similarities in how both point guards carry themselves on the floor. Both Derrick Rose and Lonzo Ball shy away from the media, choosing to talk only when asked to do so. Despite being extremely popular, neither player seeks out being a guest on podcast shows or social media to improve their image. Neither player shows too much excitement on the floor or gets carried away with trash-talking. Instead, they let their games do the talking.

The quiet demeanor can also be hurt in times like these. Neither player wanted to discuss their knee injuries, leading to media reporters or upper management speaking on their behalf. Adidas pushed Derrick Rose to make ‘The Return’ commercials, only for him to sit out the entire 2012-2013 season. Lonzo Ball’s original return target was six weeks after his injury, which eventually kept getting pushed back. The one similarity between the two situations is neither player publically talked about it and left it up to the media to speculate.

Too Much Is Riding On Lonzo Ball’s Return

Everybody is waiting for Lonzo Ball to return. Arturas Karnisovas needs to make a decision on this roster he put together. Is Lonzo Ball truly the key to this engine that will move the Bulls in the right direction, or does he needs to gut the roster and begin a rebuild? The fan base is also desperate for Lonzo Ball to inject the team with excitement again with his uptempo style of playing the game. Many fans are tired of watching Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan taking turns with their isolation plays.